Susquenita grad fights for a boxing career

Troy Maxwell is in the gym at 7:30 a.m. every day, except for Sundays. For the next two hours, he does conditioning training. At 3:30 p.m., he starts over with training and practice.

It's a lifestyle that would wear out most. For Maxwell, however, it's a necessity to reach the ultimate goal: a world championship title.

"It's a lot of sacrifice," Maxwell said. "But, I want to be the best I can be. I want to put Perry County on the map.'

He's on his way. Maxwell, a former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter turned boxer, will have his second boxing match Dec. 5 in Atlantic City, N.J. at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall. An opponent has yet to be named.

Growing up in Duncannon, the 27-year-old Maxwell involved himself in high school wrestling and football, but gave up the former because of a devotion to hunting and fishing, according to his Web site.

Now based in Galloway, N.J., Maxwell — a Susquenita High School class of 2000 graduate — says he doesn't make it back home much, a part of the sacrifice needed to reach his dream.

Upon graduating from high school, Maxwell enlisted in the Coast Guard. It was there he first discovered MMA fighting.

"I was bouncing at a bar and one of the guys there trained in mixed martial arts," Maxwell said. "He asked me if I wanted to give it a try and I thought, ‘Why not?''

His career in the Coast Guard lasted seven years. He left in order to turn MMA pro.

In 2008, Maxwell fought professional MMA fighter Igor Gracie for a Pay-Per-View Special. He lost in a unanimous decision.

Shortly after, Maxwell decided to make a career change and become a boxer. He said the impetus behind this choice was the lack of money MMA fighters make.

He said he earned only $1,700 from his PPV fight, and that was from tickets he sold.

"I would still be an MMA fighter if the money ever got to the fighters. But, it stays with the promoters," Maxwell said.

Two years ago, he met Virgil Hill, a seven-time world champion boxer. Hill was training a friend of Maxwell's. The two began talking and found they had "a lot of the same ideas," Maxwell said.

Hill took Maxwell under his wing, becoming his head trainer and manager.

"It's an honor to be around him," Maxwell said. When not training or practicing, he trains and teaches others at Hill's Galloway gym.

The training paid off in Maxwell's boxing debut in North Dakota on Oct. 24 when he faced another MMA fighter turned boxer, Sheldon Martin. Maxwell won the bout in a second round knockout.

"I was happy. But, it wasn't my best performance," Maxwell said. "I'm not the kind of person who is all about one win.'